8 Ways to Have a Luxury Disney Vacation

If your version of a Disney vacation means chaos, long waits, and too many giant turkey legs, you’re doing it all wrong. Discover how the other half does Disney, from the absolute best lodging and dining to guided tours and even how to host your own private party inside the parks.

Skip the lines. If you’ve ever seen candid photos of celebrities at Disneyland, chances are they were flanked by cast members in red tartan vests. These VIP tour guides don’t just help A-listers navigate the crowds. For $600 an hour, they will help your group plan the perfect day, including priority access to rides and prime viewing spots for parades and fireworks shows. Disney World also offers pre-set itineraries like the Ultimate Day of Thrills for all the coasters you can stomach and the Wild Africa Trek tour, which gets you up close with giraffes, hippos, and more on a private safari at Animal Kingdom.

Host a private dinner. Originally intended to be Walt Disney's private apartment for entertaining VIP guests, 21 Royal, the suite above Pirates of the Caribbean, is open for special dinners of up to 12 guests—with a $15,000 price tag. Sip cocktails served by butlers inside the salon, before moving into the dining room for a seven-course meal customized to your tastes and prepared by two master chefs. (A sommelier is on hand to walk you through the wines.) The private dinner with a side of Disney history is the perfect substitute for those waiting to get off the rumored years-long waiting list at the members-only Club 33.

Learn how to hang ten. Surfing in Central Florida is possible thanks to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, where beginners can learn to ride their first wave via private lessons in the park’s surf pool. Beyond a typical theme park wave pool, the surf at Typhoon Lagoon can be manipulated so a six-foot swell appears every 90 seconds. Experienced surfers can reserve the area after-hours for a group of up to 25 for a four-hour session with 100 waves, even choosing which direction they break.

Relax at the Four Seasons. Luxury at Disney has taken on a whole new meaning since the opening of the Four Seasons Orlando. Take a break from park-hopping and instead, spend a day exploring the sprawling, 26-acre resort. Kids will love the five-acre Explorer Island and kids' club (where a volcano erupts on demand), and parents will love that they can leave their children in a supervised environment while they enjoy an afternoon at the Four Seasons spa or the lakeside adults-only pool. Finish the day with dinner at Capa, a Spanish-inspired steakhouse on the resort’s roof, which offers a panoramic view of the entire Disney campus and views of the park's nightly fireworks.

Kids and adults alike will love the amenities at the Four Seasons Orlando.

Courtesy Four Seasons

Party at your favorite theme park location. Have you dreamed of hosting an old Hollywood-themed soirée at the Hollywood Tower Hotel? You're in luck: The terrace outside the Tower of Terror is one of many locations available for private parties and dinners across the resort, and it can be all yours with the help of Disney’s expert party planners. Live music, ride access, and even a drop-in from Mickey Mouse can all be arranged.

Live at Disney World. Why buy a timeshare when you can own a home in Cinderella’s backyard? Golden Oak at Walt Disney World is a luxury community of single-family homes on Disney property with some serious theme park perks. Residents enjoy private parties with exclusive ride access, personal visits from their favorite Disney characters, and on-demand, door-to-door transportation to the parks. The first homes in the Four Seasons Private Residences, part of the Golden Oak community, were recently completed and are designed with a Four Seasons butler pantry, so residents can take advantage of in-home concierge services in addition to access to the resort’s recreation facilities.

Dine at the chef’s table. Central Florida’s only AAA Five Diamond restaurant is located just across the lagoon from Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Victoria & Albert’s, tucked away at the Grand Floridian Resort, offers one seating per night for their chef’s table dinner. Chef Scott Hunnel, a 2016 semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s best chef in the South, guides guests through a 13-course meal customized to your preferences. If that isn’t enough, guests leave with an assortment of house-made chocolates to remember the experience once they get home—or for breakfast the next morning.

Stroll to the park gate. When staying as close to the parks as possible is a must, the overwater bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas accommodate eight adults and come with front-row seats to the Electrical Water Pageant on Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show, complete with the soundtrack piped to your balcony. If you’re visiting for the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (this year from August 31 through November 13), club level rooms at the Boardwalk Inn offer private concierge service, spectacular views, access to a private lounge, and a short walk to Epcot’s World Showcase.